Pakistan considers OIC role important

MOHAMED H. ZAKARIA Tuesday 14 August 2012

Today is the first day of Islamic Solidarity Summit in Makkah under the aegis of the worlds largest Muslim organization. Heads of state and government of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation countries have gathered at the Islams holiest place Makkah for the event. The significance of the day this year is that it precedes the most sacred night of all nights i.e. 27th of Ramadan said to be Lailatul Qadr or the Night of Power. Ramadan is the month when the Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). For Pakistan and Pakistanis across the world, both Aug. 14 and Ramadan 27, are of paramount importance for reasons that Pakistan, an Islamic republic of now 184 million people, came into existence on Aug. 14 1947, which also then coincided with the 27t of Ramadan. h Another significance of the OIC summit for Pakistan is that the country had hosted the second OIC summit in 1974 and since then the OIC as an umbrella organization for the Muslims has come a long way on the path of progress and prominence. However, the past six decades has been a period of trial and tribulations for the Muslims across the world while the West by virtue of economic prosperity and development in the field of science and technology assumed the global leadership role that they (the West especially the United States) are likely to continue in the foreseeable future. The past decade has especially been the worst period in Muslim history. Fortunately, against the odds, Muslim countries collective economic strength, human resource and resilience to withstand any hardship still remain formidable. What we need at this crucial juncture is unity, exploitation of our countries immense potential to grow and putting our respective houses in order. Among the OIC members, while every state may be unique in its own right, Pakistan has, of late, assumed global significance for a variety of reasons. The second largest Muslim country, Pakistan, is strategically located at the confluence of West, South and Central Asia to both its advantage and disadvantage. While on one hand, it affords the shortest and most economical connectivity to the landlocked Afghanistan and five Central Asian Republics to the Gulf states and beyond, its geological footprint has placed it well to become the energy corridor for the entire region, on the other hand. With the Western economies are on the decline currently, Asia holds the potential to act as the global economic engine in the decades to come. The USAs recently announced Asia-Pacific policy is a clear manifestation. The OIC states need to turn their focus on Asia, particularly, Muslim states in Asia for investments. The Muslim community has pinned high hopes in the outcome of the OIC summit wishing it a grand success. (Mohamed H. Zakaria is the CEO & General manager of Saudi Steel and Senior Vice President of Ahmed Salem Bugshan Group.)
2012 Arab News